Ash receiver



United States Patent ASH RECEIVER Leo J. De Shetler, Toledo, Ohio Application November 20, 1953, Serial No. 393,313

8 Claims. (Cl. 131238) The present invention relates broadly to ash receivers, and is more particularly concerned with a smoking stand provided with novel means which substantially prevents the smoke and smell of a lighted cigar or cigarette from annoying occupants of a room.

It is therefore an important aim of this invention to provide an ash receiver within which is provided means which forcibly draws the smoke downwardly from a lighted cigar or cigarette and dissipates said smoke into the room at a relatively low level.

Another object of the present invention lies in the provision of a smoking stand embodying means which not only removes the smoke and smell of a burning cigar or cigarette from the area of potentially-annoyed occupants of a room, but in addition, substantially simultaneously reduces the rate of combustion of said burning cigar or cigarette.

Another object of the invention is to provide an ash receiver having as an integral part thereof means for forcibly inducing a controlled flow of air downwardly from an ignited cigar or cigarette and outwardly from said ash receiver at locations closely adjacent said air inducing means.

A further object of this invention lies in the provision of a smoking stand embodying means effective to substantially reduce the normal rate of combustion of a lighted but unattended cigar or cigarette, and additionally effective to extinguish said unattended cigar or cigarette within a relatively short period of time.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide an ash receiver which comprises a compartment having air-exit holes on the side walls thereof, said compartment being open at one end only and supporting within its interior means for forcibly inducing a flow of air downwardly from a cigar or cigarette positioned adjacent the open end of the compartment and outwardly through the holes formed in the side walls thereof.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent during the course of the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form of ash receiver embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially along the line 3-3 of Figure 2, and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the interior of a modified form of ash receiver embodying the present invention.

With reference now to the drawings, and more particularly to Figure 1 thereof, there is illustrated an ash receiver or smoking stand which, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, comprises a substantially disklike base 11 which tapers upwardly to form a generally cylindrical supporting member 12 adapted to support on its upper end a bowl-shaped body portion 13. Normally the base and supporting member are produced as an integral piece, and to provide an assembly of relatively light weight at a nominal cost, the supporting member will preferably have a hollow interior 14. The base 11 is constructed to rest directly on the floor, although of course suitable legs may be provided to raise the receiver 10 slightly upwardly of the floor. However, as will be more fully hereinafter noted, efiicient operation of the receiver is not dependent upon said receiver being elevated from the floor.

The supporting member 12 is preferably of a generally cylindrical configuration throughout the major portion of its length and tapers outwardly at its upper end to produce a flange 15 within which is received the bowl-shaped body portion 13. As shown in Fig. 2, the body portion has a lower inverted dome section 16 which is integral with a substantially cylindrical upper section 17, said sections providing at their juncture a ring-like shelf 18. Carried upon the upper section 17 of the body portion 13 in overlapping relation therewith is a flanged cover member 19, said member having a cutout portion 20 substantially centrally thereof and indents 21 within which a cigarette or the like 22 may be located when not being actually smoked.

Supported at its ends upon the shelf 18 within the interior of the upper section 17 of the body portion 13 is a generally X-shaped bracket 23, said bracket being re cessed downwardly in its central section to receive a can 24 within which ashes and extinguished cigarettes may be deposited.

There is further provided in accordance with the present invention, means effective to substantially reduce the normal rate of combustion of a lighted but unattended cigar or cigarette, and additionally effective to extinguish said unattended cigar or cigarette within a relatively short period of time. Such means preferably comprises a motor 25 mounted beneath the can 24 and carried by the flange 15 on the upper end of the supporting member 12 of the herein disclosed smoking stand 10. Operatively associated with the motor and extending vertically upwardly therefrom when the motor is in mounted position is a shaft 26, said shaft carrying at its opposite end a propeller 27. The motor is preferably of the induction type employed in electric clocks and the like, and one which has been found particularly successful operates on 60 cycle current at volts with a rated capacity of 2 watts. A suitable cord 28 makes electrical connection with the motor and said cord may be passed through the hollow interior 14 of the support 12 and terminate in a conventional male plug 29. As may be seen in Fig. 2, the motor 25 substantially closes the upper portion of the hollow supporting member 12, thereby preventing smoke from passing therethrough.

Experience indicates that the effectiveness of the present ash receiver is dependent to a degree upon the particular angular arrangement of the blades of the propeller 27. Since it is preferred that a controlled amount of air be withdrawn from the atmosphere and into the body portion 13 without either enhancing or deterring the combustion of the cigarette to an undesirable degree, the more suitable construction of the blades is that they produce an angle in the neighborhood of about 60 degrees with the horizontal plane of the motor 25.

A plurality of rows of air-exit holes 30 are formed in the lower section 16 of the body portion 13, and such holes are arranged about said lower section so that the upper row of holes is slightly below the level of the propeller 27. A construction of this character is preferred in order that air will be drawn downwardly substantially entirely from the cut-out portion 20 of the cover 19, rather than through any holes 30 which might be formed in the body portion 13 above the plane of the propeller.

Although it is believed that the operation of the new and improved smoking stand herein disclosed is quite apparent from the foregoing description of its structural characteristics, a brief summary of its operation follows.

A lighted cigar or cigarette 22 positioned on the indents 21 and with its burning end over the cut-out portion '20 of the cover member 19 is subjected to a downdraft action produced by the high speed rotation of the propeller 27 connected to the motor 25. By virtue of the forced with: drawal of substantially all the air immediately surrounding the burning cigarette, smoke which normally issues from said cigarette'is swept downwardly in the directions indicated by'the arrows in Fig. 2 and outwardly through the holes 30 in the body portion 13. Since the motor is located in predetermined spaced relation with reference to the normal resting position of the cigarette, and the exist holes 30 are adjacent thereto, smoke is dissipated outwardly in a multiplicity of directions and away from the situs of the group which may be utilizing the ash receiver. This particular arrangement is considered advantageous over causing the smoke to travel throughout the suporting member 12 and out the bottom of the smoking stand. First, if a sufiicient draft is created to direct the smoke through the mentioned path, it will normally be of such magnitude as to promptly extinguish the cigarette. Second, if to avoid this a lesser draft is created, the smoke will be seen to drift upwardly from the stand base and into the locale of persons in the vicinity of the smoking stand.

Further, the structure herein disclosed not only directs the smoke in the multiplicity of paths indicated in Fig. 2, but operates to extinguish an unattended cigarette within a predetermined and controlled period, and more specifically, in about three minutes when a cigarette of average composition is employed. This feature or characteristic of the present ash receiver is desirable in order to substantially prevent the continuous flow of smoke into the room wherein the receiver is situated. Although the exact reason for this occurrence is not presently known, it is believed due to the action of the propeller 27 and elements associated therewith in substantially entirely removing the air adjacent the burning cigarette tip Whereby the combustion of the cigarette is not permitted to continue for lack of air. And as is quite apparent, such a mode of terminating the combustion of a cigarette is more advantageous than the provision of clamping devices and other means which have heretofore been utilized to pinch out a cigarette, for reasons of ease of construction of the smoking stand, neatness, and otherwise.

A modified form of the invention which operates in substantially the same manner as the above described preferred embodiment, and which is particularly designed for table use, is illustrated in Fig. 4. Upon reference thereto it may be seen that there is herein provided an open-ended body portion 31 of suitable shape normally closed by a flanged cover member 32 and having within its interior a motor 33 of the same construction earlier described. A vertical shaft 34 carrying a propeller 35 extends outwardly from one wall of the motor, while a suitable cord 36 is provided for making electrical connection with a wall outlet or the like. Supported within the body portion, as by an attaching flange 37 secured to side walls'38 of said body portion, is a deflector member 39 which directs smoke from a cigarette or the like 40, positioned on the cover member 32 over the cut-out portion 41 thereof, downwardly through suitable perforations in the attaching flange .37 t ro h l .42 loc ed n th d walls of the body t d a en the Pat n? w l 43 thereof.

Itisto be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred embodiment of the same, but that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. Ah'ash receiver for cigarettes and the like, compris ing a body'portion having an open top and side walls provided with spaced openings therein, means forsupporting a cigarette with its lighted end in close relation to the open top f t d b d 129mm? and mean sar s along the bottom of said body portion for creating a downward flow of air through the open top of the body portion and outwardly through the spaced openings in the side walls thereof.

2. An ash receiver of the character defined in claim 1, in which the last-named means are carried within the body portion in predetermined spaced relation to the open top thereof.

3. An ash receiver of the character defined in claim 1, in which the last-named means comprises a fan carried within the body portion in predetermined spaced relation to the open top and spaced openings in the side walls thereof.

4. An ash receiver for cigarettes and the like, comprising a supporting base and a body portion on said base having an open top and bottom and side walls provided with spaced openings therein, means carried by said body portion for supporting a cigarette with its lighted end in close relation to the open top of said body portion, a fan normally closing the bottom of said body portion and arranged in predetermined spaced relation to the open top and spaced openings in the side walls thereof, and means for driving said fan to create a downward flow of air through said open top and said spaced openings.

5. An ash receiver for cigarettes and the like, comprising a substantially cylindrical supporting member, a body portion carried upon said member and having an open top and side walls provided with a plurality of rows of spaced openings therein, means carried by said body portion for supporting a cigarette with its lighted end in close relation to the open top of said body portion, a fan arranged within the interior of said body portion and carried by the supporting member along the bottom of the body portion in predetermined spaced relation to the open top and spaced openings in the side walls of said body portion, and means for driving said fan to create a downward flow of air through said open top and outwardly through said spaced openrngs.

6. An ash receiver of the character defined in claim 5, in which the supporting member is hollow and in which the fan substantially closes the top of said member to prevent the air flow created by said fan from passing downwardly and outwardly from the bottom of said hollow supporting member.

7. An ash receiver of the character defined in claim 5, in which the cigarette supporting means comprises a flanged ring-like member substantially closing the open top of the body portion, and in which said body portion contains an ash receptacle positioned between said ringlike member and the fan.

8. An ash receiver of the character defined in claim 5, in which the fan comprises a motor carried upon the supporting member and a propeller blade rotatably mounted on said motor, said blade being positioned generally above the upper row of spaced openings in the side walls of the body portion and being operable upon rotation to withdraw substantially all of the air immediately surrounding the lighted end of the supporting cigarette and to direct said air outwardly through the spaced openings in said side walls of the body portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 738,184 Goodwin Sept. 8, 1903 1,145,808 Shlepp July 6, 1915 1,302,972 Rea May 6, 1919 2,029,192 Ray Jan. 28, 1936 2,644,467 Breidert July 7, 1953 F EIGN PATENT 362,883 Great Britain June 5, 1930 

